Solaire of Astora vs Jack Baker
by ColdCupoJoe
Summary: Hello once again! This is another entry into my battle series, this time pitting Jack Baker from Resident Evil 7 against Solaire of Astora from Dark Souls fame! This narratively takes place during the events of Resident Evil 7 and presumably at Solaire's introduction in Dark Souls (time is convoluted, after all). Hopefully I did both characters justice and y'all enjoy!


Man was not designed to become undead, for fear of death is what lets us live. Take that away and humanity becomes harder to hold onto. Without humanity, you may become more monster than man. Yet an undead who would die for something has nothing to fear, for death simply becomes a steppingstone toward his goal. It only becomes a matter of what breaks first: your will or those in your way. -VaatiVidya

Dulvey, Louisiana 2:19 a.m.

The croaking of frogs filled the swampy air, mosquito clouds almost as thick as the fog clinging close to the liquid ground. The few beams of moonlight that pierced through the oaks illuminated a worn dirt path as a man trudged through the darkness. The blond haired dark eyed thin man grimaced as he trudged down the dirt path, his feet tearing through the underbrush of various thorny vines.

"She's alive…" the man kept telling himself under his breath, mechanically putting one foot in front of the other. The man, Ethan Winters, clutched his flashlight tight to his chest as he marched through the ever-thickening woods. It wasn't but a few days ago he was working a cozy office job in Los Angeles when he had received an email with a video from his late wife, thought dead for the past three years, warning him to stay away from Dulvey Louisiana.

'_If she really wanted me to stay away, Mia wouldn't have sent the email…'_ Ethan thought to himself. The nagging thought in the back of his mind told him it could all be a false sense of hope, a video some sicko doctored over a few hours for the pleasure of his own torment, but he had to keep ahold of hope. He had to find the truth about Mia.

Ethan's flashlight beam bounced from tree to tree as he stumbled through the underbrush, only able to follow the slightest hint of a trail underfoot, until he nearly smacked face-first into a tall wrought iron gate. He reached out, jangling the gate to find it was locked with a heavy duty padlock, a brick wall spreading on either side to surround a two story house, plopped in the middle of the swampy landscape, almost fascinating that he was not able to spot it before this moment.

"Hello?" Ethan called out between the barred gate, eyes trying to pierce through the darkness. "Shit…" Ethan muttered, dejectedly, pushing against the gate futilely. As he turned to search the area around him for the key, his boot caught a twisting vine, sending him wide-eyed and face first into the vegetation below.

He crashed into the brush, his right hand landing directly into a shed thorn of a honey locust tree. The 3 inch long thorn pierced fully through his hand, finding its home just below the knuckle between his index and middle finger. Blood poured out of the wound in his hand onto the ground as Ethan clenched his teeth in pain, his good hand now shakily reaching to remove the woody barb. As the blood dripped to the ground, however, a dim light illuminated beneath the underbrush, the light emanating from what seemed to be ancient text inlaid into the muck.

Ethan squinted in pain, removing the thorn, but still in somewhat disbelief as the glowing text began to glow too bright to look at directly. From the light, a man rose, as if emerging from the earth itself until it stood firmly on the ground, the text beneath the figure dimming to nothingness once more.

Ethan stood in shock at the man before him, appearing to have come straight out of a medieval tapestry. He was covered from head to toe in iron armor, a white tunic overlaid on his breastplate colored by a bright yellow sun with eight red rays emanating off of it. He held a rounded shield with the same sun insignia as well as a long iron sword, clearly long worn from use. The knight's iron helm fully covered his face, bar two rectangular slits where his eyes were, yet Ethan could not make out any humanoid features in the darkness.

"What… what the hell are you? Where did you come from?" Ethan stammered, bleeding hand still held tight to his chest, still not fully convinced that his was not some shock-induced hallucination. The knight took a brief second to analyze his surroundings, looking up into the night sky and giving a slight sigh.

"Ah, you don't look to be hollow, far from it!" the knight exclaimed, turning his focus to Ethan in front of him. The night sheathed his sword in its hilt on his left side and extended his hand. Ethan cautiously shook the knight's hand before the armor clad man retracted it.

"I am Solaire of Astora, an adherent of the Lord of Sunlight. I was on the search to find my own sun," the man sounded cheery underneath his metal helmet, setting Ethan slightly on edge. "You find that strange? Well you should! No need to hide your reaction, I get that look all the time! Hah hah hah!"

"That's… not exactly it…" Ethan hesitated, still not trusting his own eyes in this moment. "You just appeared… from out of the ground! This is not something I need today…"

"Not to worry, young friend," Solaire consoled, "Where I am from the flow of time is convoluted; with heroes centuries old phasing in and out. There is no telling how much longer your world and mine will remain in contact, but I am here as an ally, and only seek to test myself to prepare for my journey through the land of Anor Londo. So I have a proposition, if you have a moment."

Ethan shifted his weight, eyes darting from the knight in front of him to the barred gate and the house beyond it. He slowly nodded, bringing Solaire's back to straighten in excitement.

"Very good! This pleases me greatly!" Solaire almost jumped for joy, turning his attention to the locked iron gate. "Now, this gate seems like no match for the power of the Lord of Sunlight!"

With that, Solaire retrieved a trinket from his belt and held it aloft. As he did, a bright yellow light enveloped the dark woods, causing Ethan to briefly turn his glance. When he looked again the raw light had formed itself into a lightning bolt in Solaire's hand. Solaire threw his arm forward, sending the lightning bolt flying at the middle of the fence. The bolt sparked against the lock mechanism, showering sparks that fizzled as they hit the muddy ground. The gates flung open with a loud squeal at the force of the blast until leaving the night air dead quiet once more.

"I guess that'll do it…" Ethan muttered, wide eyed at the spectacle he just witnessed.

"Exhilarating, is it not? The power of the Sun!" Solaire chuckled, returning the trinket to his belt and drawing his sword.

"I'm not sure that'll be necessary," Ethan said, placing his hand gingerly atop Solaire's sword. "We are just looking for my wife. They say this place is just an abandoned farm house, family went missing years ago."

"Then it will be all the more necessary," Solaire persisted, "in the event of running afoul of any hollow or beast! Trust me, if we wish to see the end of this night we must be able to engage in a bit of jolly cooperation!"

The knight chuckled once more, pressing onward toward the house.

"If you say so," Ethan said, shaking his head as he followed. "Hold up, we'll cover more ground if we split up. I'll try the front door, you start from the garage."

"Rightly so," Solaire nodded, extending his hand once more. Ethan took Solaire's hand in a firm handshake before parting. "Travel with the incandescence of the Sun, friend, and go with bravery in your heart!"

[]

The garage door rose with the squealing of grinding metal as Solaire lifted it from the outside. He tucked and rolled inside as the door slammed back into the ground, closing off his means of escape but at least he had a way in.

The stench of rotting flesh burned Solaire's nostrils within the helm, a smell all too familiar to the warrior of Sunlight. One small light illuminated the room, a fluorescent tube fastened high to a wall opposite of the garage door. Racks of maintenance equipment lined the walls, and in the corner of the room Solaire found the origin of the stench. Mangled corpses, some human, some only humanoid, overtaken by a dark, oily substance akin to mold, lay piled in the corner, about 4 to 5 in total, flies buzzing over their bloodied flesh.

"I am amidst strange beings, in a strange land," Solaire pondered to himself, looking over the pile of bodies.

"Nevertheless, a good journey is always preceded by a bonfire. May these poor souls' sacrifice not be in vain." As he finished, he began to pull the more grotesque-looking corpses into the center of the garage.

[]

Solaire sat at the foot of his pile of flaming corpses, gathering his thoughts. This world was truly strange, almost comparable to his own world, but he knew if he had not faded out of this reality yet he may be here until he had accomplished what the Lord of Sunlight wanted of him.

The knight had sat for what only felt like minutes, but may have been hours for all he knew before being startled to the presence by a loud banging noise from inside the house.

"He's not eating it Jack! He's not eating it!" a female voice could be heard screeching from within the house. Solaire rose to his feet, sword and large round shield drawn. He inched himself through the smaller door to the house, stepping on the wooden planks that creaked with every step of the armor-clad warrior.

"Shut the hell up, Marguerite! Get the hell out of here!" a booming paternal voice echoed through the halls, presumably Jack. Solaire steeled himself as he followed the voices through the winding halls of the house.

"You're a real son of a bitch!" the lady's voice, Marguerite he had put together, shouted. He was close enough now to hear footsteps storming away. "He was supposed to eat it! He's not eatin' it! He's not eatin' it!"

The adherent of Sunlight entered a kitchen-looking room where the voices were emanating from. The room was dimly lit, light flickering long shadows on the walls and floor. A rickety wooden table sat in the center, a buffet of disgusting, rotting meats and entrails sitting atop stained plates around a small bouquet of candles in the center. At the table sat Solaire's friend Ethan, bound with leather straps, face bashed and bruised. Standing over Ethan was another tall man, bearded and balding, a pair of wire frame glasses covering his beady gray eyes, rusty knife held close to Ethan's cheek.

"I'll come back for you," the man said, turning away from Ethan. As he turned, his eyes popped with surprise as they met Solaire's. "Who the fuck do you think you are?"

"A friend of that man there," Solaire pointed his sword at Ethan, still strapped to the chair. "And if you do not release him, then I will have no choice but to free him myself, through you if necessary."

Jack stood a moment, sucking through his teeth. He moved wordlessly over to the counter and placed his hand on an unseen object.

"This was supposed to be a special feast!" Jack erupted, swinging overhead with what now was clear was an axe. Solaire caught the downward blow with his shield, the iron sparking off of each other before Solaire took his chance to counter. He thrust his straight sword forward into Jack's shoulder, piercing all the way through the other side.

"What's wrong with you?!" Solaire called out, retracting his blade and preparing for another strike. "If we cannot find peace, then a Warrior of the Sun will not just sit and take it!"

Solaire swung his sword wide and lopped off Jack's left arm. Jack gritted his teeth, but did not yell in pain as he simply dropped his axe and turned to leave in the hallway Solaire had arrived in.

"You done it now, motherfucker!" Jack shouted, lumbering away. Solaire was perplexed, but nonetheless turned his attention to Ethan, still in the chair.

"Prepare yourself, I shall cut you free," said Solaire as he drew his blade across the leather straps holding Ethan in place. Ethan rubbed his wrists where he was held and patted himself down, making sure all of his bits and pieces were still there.

"Thank you, Solaire, I owe you my life."

"'Twas no flesh off my back, I'm simply glad to see you alive. You've strong faith, and most importantly, a strong heart to have survived this nightmare." Solaire grinned under his helmet, turning away from his friend to chase his armless opponent.

"Where are you going?" Ethan called, grabbing the knight by the shoulder to spin him around. "We need to get the hell out of here!"

Solaire shook his head. "No, I must rid this house of its demon, I now know that this is my purpose before I may search for my Sun. You must realize your own purpose and steel yourself to its demands, I believe that is your wife?"

"Yeah…" Ethan muttered, releasing Solaire's shoulder and letting him turn away.

"If you need my assistance, do not hesitate to call upon me. You've left me with quite an impression and I would relish the chance to assist you once more!" Solaire chuckled as he walked away, making his way back to the garage.

Solaire placed his shield on his back as he used his offhand to cautiously opened the garage door. The bonfire of bodies he had set was burned out, overtaken by the oily black mold that was growing on some of the corpses he had placed. He entered, his sword raised in front of him in defense.

"Welcome to the family, son!" Jack's voice rang out from behind. Solaire turned just in time to see the head of a shovel being swung at his head. The metal clanged hard against his helmet, ringing Solaire's ears and sending his vision blurred. He stumbled to his knees, but managed to cling onto a strand of consciousness to look up at his attacker.

"Have you not the honor of a man…" Solaire coughed, his focus slowly returning. Jack clearly had both of his arms once more, though the sleeve of his left arm was torn at the spot Solaire had chopped off the arm just minutes before. Jack threw down the shovel he was holding and walked over to the shelf under the fluorescent light, unfurling a blue sheet to reveal a monstrous mechanical contraption. Two large chainsaws had been grafted onto each other like shears, a dangerous V of spinning blades now pointed at the downed knight.

"Don't be scared," Jack said, voice beginning to be drowned out by the running engines of the chainsaw shears. "You're about to be a part of the family!"

"Your arm…" Solaire stammered, attempting to regain his balance. "Art thou undead? What covenant has granted you this power?"

Jack craned his neck to peer at his regrown arm, a smirk on his face.

"She gave us a gift," Jack sounded as if his mind was miles away. "A gift, and I have to show her how devoted I am! She wants us all to show her our love. You don't wanna disappoint her, now do ya?"

Solaire rose to his feet, the haze leaving his vision slowly. He retrieved the shield from his back and held it in front, showing the proud sun image. His straight sword still rested firmly in his hand, ready to strike.

"I fight for a higher cause," Solaire stated, fully recovered and ready for combat. "And if a stubborn beast you be, then you shall know how a Warrior of the Sun does battle!"

Jack revved his chainsaw shears and lunged toward the knight, crazed and snarling. Solaire's sword caught directly in the middle of the chainsaw teeth, sending sparks dancing on the concrete floor. The knight gritted his teeth as he pushed forward with his shield, staggering Jack a few feet.

"You don't deserve her gift, son!" Jack shouted, extending his shears fully so that they acted as deadly spinning ends of a staff.

Solaire shifted his weight, unsure how to combat such a deadly weapon, only able to thrust his sword into Jack's chest as he came close before attempting to roll away. As he rolled, however, the chainsaw blade caught his foot, tearing right through a seam in the plating, cutting through the flesh and bone. Solaire crashed to the ground in pain, looking in fear at his new bloodied stump.

"Aww, you poor thing," Jack mocked, pacing back and forth in front of his downed victim. He retrieved a small green vial from his pocket, slamming it onto the ground a few feet from the knight.

"You can use this to fix your leg," Jack said childishly, laughing maniacally. "You can do it!"

Solaire pulled himself forward, grabbing the vial as well as his disembodied foot. Holding his foot in place, he poured the liquid over the seam between the two hunks of flesh. He screamed in agony as his leg seared with pain, but as the vial ran out of liquid he could feel his toes once more.

"This is truly a mad world," Solaire said to himself, rising to his feet once more, readying his sword and his shield again.

"You don't know the half of it, son!" Jack shouted, charging with his chainsaw shears held high.

Solaire rolled to the side, safely avoiding his maniacal attacker. Jack, carried by his own momentum, crashed into the wall behind Solaire, his shears temporarily getting stuck in the sheetrock. Solaire took this opportunity to swing his blade at Jack's back, tearing into his flesh and ripping a large bloody gash that sprayed the knight of Astora.

Jack yanked the chainsaw shears out from the wall and spun around angrily, seemingly undeterred by the slash across his back. The spinning teeth caught Solaire's shield, tearing it away from the grip of the knight as it clanged to the ground. The follow-through of his swing bore into Solaire's shoulder, ripping through his armor and digging in a few inches before Solaire could pull himself away.

"That sword ain't gonna work like you think it will," Jack smiled a toothy smile, ready to go back at the knight with his chainsaws. Solaire squinted in pain. In the corner of his eye he could've sworn he saw a small girl, but as he turned his glance she was gone. He had to focus on the fight in front of him.

"We shall see," Solaire retorted, keeping his sword in his good arm as he held his bloodied arm close to his body. He charged with his sword high, slashing down as he reached Jack. Jack initially caught the blade between his chainsaws, but the force of the swing forced his arms to dip just a bit as the blade carried through and sliced into the top of Jack's head. The blade now stuck in the bridge of Jack's nose, both hemispheres of his brain exposed in the gash of his skull.

"Gaaaaaah!" Jack shouted, his body pulling away from the blade. Solaire stepped back a pace, seeing Jack drop to his knee, his bifurcated brain pulsating within his head. Suddenly, tendril-like flesh bridged the gap of his skull, pulling the sliced pieces back together in a sickening crunch. Jack looked up at the knight of Astora with a newfound hatred in his eyes.

"That's it!" He screamed, rising to his feet again. Solaire was momentarily dumfounded by this man's resilience.

"You can be not of the origin of man," Solaire gasped, his shoulder still shooting with pain. He clenched his teeth as he reaffirmed his grip on his sword and planned his attack. "And do not deserve the mercy of one!"

Solaire charged again sliding underneath the chomping blades. He dragged his blade across Jack's belly, spilling his intestines across the concrete, reaching the remnants of Solaire's moldy bonfire. Jack shouted, pausing a moment to heal as the tendrils once more shot from the wound, gathering his fallen intestines and pulling them back.

Jack turned to see Solaire with a glowing lightning bolt in his off hand, looking devilishly at its radiance.

"The power of the Sun" Solaire shouted, pulling back his arm to throw the bolt. "I am blessed to have found such a beautiful father."

Jack dropped his shears and reached out his hand just before Solaire threw the bolt of lightning. The bolt struck Jack in the chest, burning deep before causing the once-peaceful farmer to rapidly expand and then burst in a shower of blood and charred organs. The white energy of Jack's soul drifted from where he stood to Solaire as the warrior of Sunlight absorbed his spirit.

Solaire gave a long sigh, dropping to his knees, his armor stained red from head to foot from the battle. He raised his head to where his opponent once stood and now saw a small girl, robed in black, with jet black hair and a pale face, smiling brightly.

"Yes, I have finally found it," Solaire gasped for breath, his sword clanging to the ground as he reached out his hand. "My very own sun… My search has not been in vain…"

"Let's find Ethan, daddy," the girl smiled as she took the knight's hand, a black gooey mold oozing onto his armor and seeping into the cracks…

Winner: Solaire of Astora

Stay tuned for a Penguins of Madagascar/Phineas and Ferb crossover!


End file.
